Carlson Samuel W, Carlson Walter O
S D Med. 2014 Feb;67(2):61-3, 65.
The recent passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) has highlighted the need for more primary care providers. One solution to increase the primary care provider base is the increased utilization of nurse practioners (NPs) and physician's assistants (PAs). Differences exist in the educational background, board examinations and licensing requirements of NPs and PAs. In addition, their practice patterns, recertification and types of supervision are different. Moreover, changes in the NP educational pathway leading to a doctoral degree will create new challenges regarding collaboration agreements currently required by South Dakota statute. This paper discusses the differences and similarities of NPs and PAs to gain a better understanding of these professions.
近期《平价医疗法案》（ACA）的通过凸显了对更多初级保健提供者的需求。增加初级保健提供者基数的一个解决方案是提高执业护士（NPs）和医师助理（PAs）的利用率。执业护士和医师助理在教育背景、委员会考试及执照要求方面存在差异。此外，他们的执业模式、再认证及监督类型也有所不同。而且，导致获得博士学位的执业护士教育途径的变化将给南达科他州法规目前要求的合作协议带来新挑战。本文讨论了执业护士和医师助理的异同，以便更好地了解这些职业。
